While many e-mail providers in China turned to charge fees for their services, Sohu bucked the trend by offering upgraded free e-mail services.

Charles Zhang, CEO, President and Chairman of Sohu.com, said: "We have substantially upgraded our free e-mail service as a proactive strategy to further expand our market share."

"The 'explosion' in e-mail subscriptions is laying the foundation for a solid permission-based marketing platform. Advertisers will gain access to precisely profiled demographics that have agreed to receive personalized promotional material from our clients," Zhang said.

Tricon's Kentucky Fried Chicken has linked its online branding campaign to Sohu's new e-mail launch, offering to give away thousands of prizes to new Sohu e-mail subscribers.

Sohu.com is ranked No 1 web property for the sixth consecutive time according to a survey released by the Internet measurement company iamasia.

(Xinhua News Agency 09/05/2001)